Malorie Blackman
Malorie Blackman
Malorie Blackman, OBE, is a British writer who held the position of Children's Laureate from 2013 to 2015. She primarily writes literature and television drama for children and young adults. She has used science fiction to explore social and ethical issues. Her critically and popularly acclaimed Noughts and Crosses series uses the setting of a fictional dystopia to explore racism...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionYoung Adult Author
Date of Birth8 February 1962
CityLondon, England
good
A good book is a good book. End of story.
books grew invisible life reflected totally
I loved reading when I grew up but did feel totally invisible because I couldn't see myself and my life reflected in the books I was reading.
believe
I believe each individual can have a say and make a difference.
books creative kinds poems responses starting stories tapping teenagers teens themselves using
What I wanted to do was use literature and different kinds of stories and poems as a springboard, tapping into the creativity of our teens - I wanted teenagers to come up with their own creative responses to literature - using books themselves as a starting point.
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I remember going into a bookshop, and the only book I saw with a black child on the cover was 'A Thief in the Village' by James Berry, and I thought, 'Is this still the state of publishing?' Then I thought, 'Either I can whine about it or try to do something about it.'
boys lived sixth suddenly suppose till
I suppose I've always lived in my own head. I didn't discover boys till sixth form. Then suddenly it was, 'Oh! Boys!'
exercise walking
Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else's shoes for a while.
believe few however learn might mistakes move past time wish
I don't believe in regrets. There are a few things I'd do differently, but I can't go back in time and redo them, however much I might wish to. All I can do is learn from past mistakes and move forward.
Shakespeare's 'Othello' was inspired by Cinthio's 'A Moorish Captain'; his 'Hamlet' came from Saxo Grammaticus's 'Amleth.'
trying
What I'm trying to do is to write a story. If you take something from it, that's wonderful; if you don't, that's wonderful as well.
diverse graphic horizons narrative promoting stories translated writers
I try to widen the horizons of every child I meet, and part of that is promoting diverse forms, be it graphic novels, stories told in a narrative voice, or more translated books, as well as more diverse writers and more diverse characters.
minutes ten
When I was a child, we used to look forward to the end of the day when we would hear another ten minutes of a story.
black history inventors lesson looked remember saying scientists talk teacher
I remember being in a history lesson and saying to my teacher, 'How come you never talk about black scientists and inventors and pioneers?' And she looked at me and said, 'Because there aren't any.'
definition geek happily high iq keen online pick proclaim school subscribe urban whose
I subscribe to the online Urban Dictionary's definition of nerd: 'one whose IQ exceeds his weight'. I'm also keen on the same Urban Dictionary's definition of geek: 'the person you pick on in high school and wind up working for as an adult'. I happily proclaim myself a book nerd/reading geek and proud of it.